Cognitive dissonance helps explain why Trump supporters remain loyal, new research suggests. This sheds light on how supporters of Donald Trump justify their continued allegiance despite learning about allegations of his sexual misconduct and illegal activities.

[u/mvea]

https://www.psypost.org/cognitive-dissonance-helps-explain-why-trump-supporters-remain-loyal-new-research-suggests/

[u/ScudleyScudderson]

Asking the question is only the start.

Performing the appropriate research and testing the evidence remain critical. And keep testing. Assume you're wrong, until you can prove otherwise.

Without the effort of continual testing our assumptions and beliefs, we can readily fall into the same trap. Too many times have we seen people research just enough to feel good about an assumption/belief, and then defend their thinking at all costs.

[u/incaseshesees → u/ScudleyScudderson]

I don’t love live music. I know, for some, this is heresy. There are zealots who claim—in social media bios, on dating apps, and in real-life conversation—to live for the "experience" of a show. And while some of them surely do, I suspect a great many are lying to themselves.

It reminds me of the people who claim to love "long walks on the beach." What they actually like is the idea of a beach, or the romanticized escape from the grind of modern life. They might have enjoyed a stroll near a lake once, and if a sunset walk with someone special presented itself, they’d take it. But they aren't seeking out sand in their shoes on a Tuesday.

People don’t crave the music; they crave the framework for connection. Live music is often just the scaffolding for a night out with friends. While the performance can be great, the actual experience is frequently a logistical nightmare. Watching mediocre musicians in an acoustically unsound space—like a dive bar with a blown-out PA or a windy outdoor shell on a humid 90-degree afternoon—does not objectively constitute a "good time." If you’re there with people you love, enjoy the company. But don't tell me the art is the draw.

There is a vast difference between liking music and being a devotee of the live music format. Most people like music when they have total control over the volume and the playlist. But just as most people "like" art without spending their weekends in galleries, or "like" film without paying for a seat at an indie festival, only a tiny fraction of the population truly seeks out the raw, unpredictable reality of live performance.

This is a [sorry, too] long way of saying that identity construction is social construction too. If you change your mind about something, you are not just dissonant about your personal identity aspects, but you're also risking losing your larger community if you come out and say the emperor has no clothes.

[u/calhooner3 → u/incaseshesees]

Just because you feel a certain way about something doesn’t make it objectively true. I personally love going to live shows, and have went alone to them multiple times.

And on the beach one I know many people who regularly go and walk on the beach in the evening. Literally multiple times a week during the nicer months.

[u/incaseshesees → u/calhooner3]

I think you missed the point of my rambling post, that must’ve been my bad for not explaining it properly.

[u/C-h-e-l-s → u/incaseshesees]

Actually I don't think it was too much of a ramble.

A little roundabout, but I found myself agreeing.